Conservation of our natural resources is important in every community, and can bring together people

looking to participate and lead others. Conservation habits can help conserve water, increase food

supply and provide shelter for animals, birds and insects. By working to improve our environment,

everyone can develop good habits that will last a lifetime and also inspire others around them. This

feature story provides basic as well as additional supportive information and highlights how

conservation districts can help to create a healthy habitat for the area you inhabit.

The first step in educating adults and students about Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats is to develop

a common understanding. To help do just this, below are some basic definitions of terms:

Conservation: the careful management of the environment and of our natural resources, or as Aldo

Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac said, “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

Habit: something we do frequently or automatically, and can be difficult to stop.

Healthy: a flourishing condition, a sense of well-being.

Habitat: the place where something—plant, animal or other small organism—lives because it is adapted

to find food, water, shelter and space. Habitats can be found in forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands or arctic

tundra around the world, as well as in our communities and right outside our back doors.

Thus, conservation habits are consistent actions that can help protect and manage our natural resources.

Many of those habits will help establish and maintain healthy habitats, which are flourishing places for

animals and others to live. As Aldo Leopold envisioned, “environmental progress ultimately resides in

the efforts of all of us to apply a caring hand to the landscape. It resides in our own actions, in our

backyards, at our places of work, on our farms and ranches and factories, and in our communities.”

Healthy habitats provide a plethora of resources for the organisms that exist within them. The

soil—whether loamy, sandy or clay—functions to provide nutrients and sustain life. Native plants

to the soil and climate—like grasses, shrubs and trees—can provide sustainable food sources

and protection. Birds and insects contribute by pollinating plants, and animals live in balance,

eating and being eaten.

Habitats can be restored and new ones developed almost anywhere; it only

requires one organism adapting to a location to make it a habitat. A few

ideas for maintaining and supporting these essential locations are listed in

the “Do Your Part!” boxes on the next page. Resources and assistance are

abundant, and conservation districts across the

country can help you do your part to

encourage healthy habitats no matter

where you live. Some of the many

sources available are listed on the

back page of this handout.

Conservation Habits= Healthy Habitats

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Do Your Part!People can…

…add a bird bath or other water source for animals.

…plant native flowers, trees, shrubs and plants with food sources like berries, nuts or fruit.

…let a corner or strip of the yard or playground grow naturally to provide shelter

and food for wildlife.

…plant grass or ground cover on a bare patch of soil where erosion has occurred.

…install or build a rain barrel to collect rainwater.

…consider pervious or porous concrete when installing sidewalks.

…recycle materials so that habitats don’t have to be destroyed for additional landfill space.

…volunteer to plant trees or develop habitat areas in our communities.

…protect natural resources around the community from contamination.

…do a lot!

Animals, Birds and InsectsDo Their Part!Animals, birds and insects can…

…pollinate flowers.

…eat fruit and berries, eliminating

the seeds as waste, which in

turn grow into new plants.

…eat dead plant material and

provide nutrients for the soil

so more plants can grow.

Trees and Plants Do Their Part!Trees can…

…remove carbon dioxide from the air.

…release oxygen into the air.

…provide food, shelter and a place for some

to raise their young, including people.

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Education Programs for Adults and Youth –Redlands, CaliforniaThe Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD) offers free educational

programs to any community group or school within the District’s boundaries. Adults

can learn about water-use efficiency, stormwater pollution, composting, rain gardens

and native plants. The latter teaches people how to create a native plant garden,

including the best time to plant and species to avoid. For school programs, staff visit

classrooms and review the necessary learning materials. For example, “Backyard

Conservation” teaches students the importance of conserving natural resources in their

own backyards. Other topics include “Trees Please,” “Wonders of Wetlands,” “Stormwater

Pollution,” “Toil of Soil,” “Water Use Efficiency,” and “Recycle, Energy Conservation,

Reduce, Reuse.” For more information, contact Jennifer Ares at

jennifer.ares@ca.nacdnet.net.

An educator works

with students in

California on the

Toil of Soil program.

Community Beautification – Greenville, South CarolinaLong Branch Baptist Church, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),

Greenville County Conservation District, Foothills Resource Conservation and Development

Council and the South Carolina Forestry Commission are transforming a drug-infested city

block into a community park. The church purchased lots adjacent to its property and

demolished 18 abandoned houses. The pastor contacted NRCS for assistance in stabilizing a

tributary, and the project grew to city block beautification. The partners hosted a tree planting

workshop and 38 community members planted 40 trees selected for site conditions, aesthetics

and urban wildlife. The next phase involves restoring stream banks and creating a native rock

seating area. The District will host monthly after-school workshops for neighborhood children

so they can learn about local natural resources. For information, contact Kirsten Robertson at

kirobertson@greenvillecounty.org.

Kansas Districts Advance E.A.R.T.H. – Ottawa, KansasLaunched by Kansas State University Research and Extension, Earth Awareness

Researchers for Tomorrow’s Habitat (EARTH) focuses on environmental education

during a year-long middle school program. Conservation districts in more than a dozen

counties promote EARTH and its curriculum to schools and youth programs

statewide. The mission is “to provide youth with innovative, experimental learning

opportunities that highlight the relationships and interdependence of our natural

resources.” The Franklin County Conservation District provides curriculum books and

supply kits to four school districts. The kits include supplies necessary to complete more

than 30 hands-on lessons that explain the relationships and interdependency of soil,

water, air and living resources. The program culminates with an EARTH Festival in April,

where environmental professionals volunteer and provide engaging activities for the

students related to the curriculum topics.  For information, contact Keri Harris at

keri.harris@ks.nacdnet.net.

Grassland Habitat Restoration – Scituate, Rhode IslandThe Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, NRCS, Providence Water and

conservation organizations are using the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program to restore

grassland and early succession habitats on an old farm near the Scituate Reservoir. In the

early 1900s, the area existed as hay and pasture land, but reverted to mostly forested

land since then. As a result, many species dependent upon grasslands for food and cover

have declined in population, including Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper

Sparrows. The team will work to expand the existing grasslands, along with

shrub/sapling edge. Newly cleared areas will be seeded with warm-season grasses. Over

the next five years, work is staged to transition the land gradually. With time and proper

management, the property will benefit a variety of wildlife. For information, contact Gina

DeMarco at gina-demarco@nricd.necoxmail.com. 

Local residents tour the Joslin Farm in Rhode

Island, learning about the ongoing Wildlife Habitat

Incentives Program project and its intended results.

Students participate in “H2O Olympics” to learn

about cohesion and adhesion of water molecules

with a festival volunteer at the Franklin County

EARTH Festival in Kansas.

Pastor Sean Dogan and his church members are

partnering with NRCS and the Greenville County

Conservation District to build a community park.

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Pollinator Partnership www.pollinator.org

Pollinator Partnership works to protect the health of managed and

native pollinating animals vital to North American ecosystems and

agriculture, including information for consumers, gardeners, land

managers, educators, resource managers, producers and farmers.

Garden for Wildlife National Wildlife Federationwww.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/certify.cfm

The National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife

Habitat™ program recognizes thousands of wildlife

enthusiasts across the country for creating havens for

neighborhood wildlife in their own yards.

Habitats: Home Sweet Home National Geographic Societywww.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/habitats.html

Information, videos, lesson plans and maps are available on habitats

such as cities and suburbs, deserts and tundra, forests, fresh water,

oceans and costs, and prairies through Geography Action!

Supplement to the Resource, Winter 2009

People’s Garden Initiative US Department of Agriculturewww.usda.gov/peoplesgarden

The People’s Garden illustrates how USDA

works to provide a sustainable, safe and

nutritious food supply while protecting and

preserving the landscape. USDA employees are

encouraged to look for opportunities to volunteer in

this effort at their local offices or community gardens.

Backyard Conservation NRCS, NACD, Wildlife Habitat Councilwww.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard

Backyard Conservation provides information and

booklet tip sheets on how conservation practices used

on agricultural land can be adapted for use around

individual homes.

Backyard Woods US Forest Service, NACD, National Arbor Day Foundation www.arborday.org/backyardwoods

Backyard Woods provides a guide and tip sheets on

how small acreage owners can enhance the scenery in

their backyard woods, provide habitat for wildlife and

utilize the land as an extra source of income.

Education for Conservation US Fish and Wildlife Servicewww.fws.gov/educators/educators.html

The website provides information on birds,

fish, wildlife, plants, habitats and more, and

includes links to Scout recognition certificates,

curriculum resources, community service projects and

professional development opportunities.

Backyard ConservationResources Wildlife Habitat Councilwww.wildlifehc.org/managementtools/backyard.cfm

The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit group

dedicated to restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat by

helping large landowners, particularly corporations,

manage their unused lands in a way that benefits wildlife.

WHC also works to broaden understanding of wildlife

values through environmental education, volunteer

participation and community outreach programs.

Resources for Healthy Habitats

Invite pollinators to your neighborhood:Plant a pollinator friendly habitat in your garden

Pollinators are needed for the reproduction of 90 percent of

flowering plants and one third of human food crops. Each of

us depends on these industrious pollinators in a practical

way to provide us with the wide range of foods we eat. In

addition, pollinators are part of the intricate web that

supports the biological diversity in natural ecosystems that

helps sustain our quality of life.

The Pollinator Partnership, of which

NACD is a member, has 24

Ecoregional Planting Guides

available free of charge at

http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm.

Download yours today to find

native planting information tailored

to your region.

NACD 2010 Education Materials www.nacdnet.org/stewardship

educational materials for all ages are available on Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats, the 2010 stewardship theme.

Note: Share this Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats feature story with your

local schools, garden clubs, service organizations and others by downloading the

PDF file at http://nacdnet.org/resources/ or linking it to your district’s website.

509 Capitol Court, Ne

Washington, DC 20002

(202) 547-6223

www.nacdnet.org

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